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By: Henry Weststeyn
You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
- Acts 5:12-16
Acts is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I’m kind of simple, so anything that tells a story is right in my wheelhouse. And though telling a story nearly 2,000 years old, its characters and content are relatable for us today, because it is the story of the church. It tells the story of us – of our beginnings.
Acts 4:1-22 is the account of the first time Peter and John were taken before the Sanhedrin. Their offenses were healing a crippled beggar and speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. They were imprisoned overnight, and threatened, but then released. Immediately, they gathered together and prayed for courage to speak God’s word with boldness, and to be instruments of His healing power for those with physical needs.
Then, after the account of Ananias and Sapphira, comes the text for today. Wait, did they not learn anything from the priests and the Sadducees’ reprimand of Peter and John just a chapter earlier? As common Jews, being called in front of the Sanhedrin would have been no small thing. Yet the text in Chapter 5 states they went right back to healing the sick and meeting, openly, in Solomon’s Colonnade. And the result? More people believed, and “were added to their number”.
Why, we ask? They could have returned to relatively safe, obscure lives in the Jewish community. What gave them the courage to ignore the Sanhedrin’s admonishment, thereby inviting more persecution? The answer is that they believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and trusted Him when He said at His ascension in Acts 1:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Where does this leave us in 2022? If we consider what is going on around us today, there is no doubt of the onslaught of present culture against the kingdom of God on earth. Granted, we do not necessarily feel persecution individually as do believers in faraway places like China, India, and Iran. Not yet, at least. But what must our response be? Rod Dreher, in his book The Benedict Option, states:
“In short, we are going to have to be the church, without compromise, no matter the cost.”
This sounds exactly like what the disciples and new Christ followers did. When persecution comes, will we display the boldness of the early church? Will the command to live lives worthy of our calling and obey Jesus’ charge to spread His gospel overcome our fears of being singled out, or worse. Will we stand firm, and not compromise our beliefs?
As with the fledgling church, our first action must be prayer. Prayer to stay in fellowship with God. Prayer for unity of purpose with other believers. Prayer for comfort in uncomfortable times. And prayer for courage to stand firm in the job we’ve been given until Christ returns.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. --Hebrews 4:16
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. --1 Peter 4:16